In December, the public prosecutor of Milan (Italy) laid some fairly explosive evidence before the UK’s Southwark Crown Court in connection with an ongoing Nigerian corruption investigation. If the evidence can be substantiated, it may have widespread political and international ramifications for those involved in a remarkably long running and murky saga.

Allegations that more than a billion dollars paid to the Nigerian government ended up with a company controlled by a former Nigerian oil minister have triggered a money-laundering investigation in the UK, according to a report Wednesday from Reuters.